Invoking Ignition
by iBroken
Summary: AsuCaga, ShinnStellar Unfinished paths meet, but there's a twist in it all.


**Invoking Ignition**

**By: **Depressionist-Obsessionist

--

**Main Pairings: **AthrunCagalli, ShinnStellar (SURPRISE!)

**Rating: **T

**Anime: **Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED DESTINY

**Main Characters: **Athrun Zala, Cagalli Yula Attha, Shinn Asuka, Stellar Loussier

**Genre: **Romance/Hurt-Comfort

**--**

**Summary: **AsuCaga, ShinnStellar CE 174; unfulfilled destinies are reunited. With an… unbearable twist in the middle.

**Warnings: **Lots of Drama, and lots of OneSided pairings. It will, though, remain a ShinnStellar, AsuCaga, etc.

**--**

**Disclaimer: **Gundam SEED belongs to someone, whoever owns it. Gah!

--

**Impulse to Gaia**

"A-ah…!"

She slipped, falling back with her hair falling around she closed her eyes. Her scream was muffled when there was a sudden thought of death chorusing through her mind. With a louder scream, she hit the water, slamming into it roughly. She struggled for a moment, unable to remember that she couldn't swim. No, she couldn't swim. She screamed, the water muffling her screams. The pain unbearable, the unbelievable fear undetermined.

She was screaming, and screaming. But the screams were only audible to her ears, her mind. The waters she loved so much were bringing her to her death, slowly. _**N-no… I don't want to die! I-I don't want to die!**_She struggled, drowning deeper, and deeper. Her struggling began to stop, as her body fell limp in the water.

"_Shinn… you said you would protect me."_

--

"She'll be fine, Marissa… stop worrying."

Marissa panicked, grasping her long brown hair with both hands, breathing deeply. Their innocent, lonely child was _lost_! Her husband, Neo La Flaga, wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into an embrace. Their poor, innocent Stellar. All alone with no one to help her. Marissa wasn't able to comprehend how much this thought was exaggerated. But she still felt like exploding. Her _daughter_ was out there!

"Neo… sh-she might be hurt! O-or be killed by some anti-natural, or something! Oh do something, Neo, do something!"

Neo sighed heavily, before gently kissing his wife's forehead. Even he loved Stellar a lot, the innocent, ocean loving girl was the world to them. But he couldn't leave now. Not during an important meeting discussing how the memorial service for Junius Seven would be held. "I promise, I'll call Keito Yamato and his wife up tomorrow," he said. At his words, Marissa gave a distressed nod.

--

"Doctor; he's been apologizing for things he didn't even do! I mean, who the hell is Stellar?"

Shinn huffed as his father, Muruta Asakara, paced back and forth infront of the terminal doctor. As usual, his mother, Natarlie Asakara, watched her husband with unhappy eyes. The day was getting extremely uncomfortable, at least to him. He had spent his whole day watching his two parents' mourn over how their son was insane.

Just because he _saw_ his past, doesn't make him insane. In fact, it made Shinn less insane than before. He only felt sad over what his past sins were. Almost destroying ORB, almost killing a Representative, almost killing the pilot of the Freedom, almost killing Athrun Zala. The list was too long. He felt terrible, but then again, he couldn't do much about it. He was a seventeen year old, a photographers apprentice. Not much good to do there.

He always went out and took photographs of special places. The ORB Monument of Cagalli Yula Attha, the Ocean. It was all a daily thing to him. A slight hope always passed through him; a hope that he might see the representative's reincarnation, or the reincarnation of his old friend Rey Za Burrel. All of these hopes made him go back, back and forth. If Rey were alive, he would be in PLANTS. His parents, however, loved ORB. He wanted to go to the Atlantic Federation, and to PLANTS. Everywhere, so he could apologize for his mistakes in his past life.

"There is no way to stop these 'memories' of his. Unless you erase his memory, like they did with the extended naturals back in CE 73…"

"No! I'm not going to end up like Stellar or her friends!" Shinn interrupted. His parents sighed, heavily. Then again, he always did know his parents were people from not his past, but someone's. "We'll be leaving now, thank you for your time, Mr. Elric," Natarlie spoke. With that, they turned to head back to the family car.

--

As Shinn's eyes passed over the ocean, a sudden current pulled his eyes closer to the window. Something was weird. Like he _had_ to go there today, right now. He looked at his parents and quickly demanded they stop. Natarlie would have argued, but the car stopped anyways. He opened the door to his right and quickly walked out, for a moment, staring down at the beach. Something about this moment seemed so familiar. That he was here, and he knew someone else he knew was too.

And suddenly, he saw some_one_ floating in the water. He didn't need prompting. He pulled off his red coat and black shirt, and quickly rushed to the cliff edge. As he stared down, he remembered it. A quick ribbon.

_Shinn jumped down, hitting the water, just as he wrapped his arms around the girl's waist and held her up. She struggled in his grasp, attempting to pull away and rush away from him._

He jumped in, hitting the water in a perfect standup dive. As he hit it, he saw that a girl was floating in the water. His red eyes widened at the familiarity of that blue dress, and those blond tresses. He quickly began swimming to her, unable to bottle the excitement at seeing a part of his past. The part he was most eager to lay eyes on.

As he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her up. Her soft, pale skin. Those long eyelashes. And that very slim and graceful body. He remembered her like it had only been yesterday when he, as Shinn Asuka, had saved her. _Stellar… I found you. _Then he noticed, her breathing was very slow. Infact, it was as if she had been here for hours. Panic spread up him. He had promised to protect her. "_I promised to protect her! I… I promised to protect her!" _

Another ribbon of holding her dead body before the water, with his eyes covered in tears, came over his mind. The memories of the Destroy, being attacked by the Freedom. He couldn't lose her again, he just couldn't.

He quickly began swimming to the shore, where his parents' stood shocked.

--

"I can't say she's not pretty. But… how did you realize she was there?"

Shinn continued to stare, lovingly, at Stellar's face. The blonde girl was still unconscious, and she seemed so ill. Like in the Minerva, when he was in the nursing ward with her. "I told you. In my past life, I saved her from drowning too. Her name is Stellar, though I'm not sure if it's still Stellar Loussier," Shinn admitted. His mother sighed. _They won't believe me till she wakes up. She'll say her name is Stellar, I'm positive of it! _A small smile filled his face, as he caressed her cheek.

"Shinn, this is insane. How can you remember a past life?" Natarlie mumbled. Her violet eyes lowered, as she ran a hand over the boy's black hair. As usual, Shinn grinned up at her. "I can, because I want to. Because I want to see everyone again, the Attha Princess, Athrun, Rey… everyone," he said. At his words, even his father choked. The man had then spilt his coffee over the green carpet. "Now this is ridiculous! Athrun Zala and Lady Cagalli are historical figures. You can't possibly know them!" he exclaimed.

As he spoke, Stellar gave a small move. Shinn looked up at his father, though his hand remained on her cheek. "Of course I know them… I almost killed Athrun. And I tried to kill Cagalli… along with the entire of the Arch Angel," he answered. Once more, Natarlie gave a sigh. "That's enough history lessons for you, young man. You head to bed, and I'll continue looking after the young miss," she spoke. "Her name is Stellar… and I promised I would protect her," Shinn stated. His red eyes glistened at his words, as a firm hand clasped Stellar's. "You can't get me to back down. I _will_ protect her this time."

Knowing there was no convincing Shinn once he got worked up, especially when it came to his 'past life', both Natarlie and Muruta Asakara went off to bed.

--

Shinn sat at the side of Stellar's bed, placing another wet towel on her forehead.

Though the work was tiresome, and he had school the next morning, he didn't mind. _I'm going to protect you now, Stellar. I promise… _With his words, he stroked her cheek once more. The pale skin was lightly shaded, making her appear very, very ill. She might have died if Shinn hadn't come on time. _I'm thankful I did. I could have missed Stellar again…_

Without thinking twice, he let his head bend down, hovering above her. He could feel her easy breaths against his skin. Her eyelashes closed, making her seem so angelic. An angel sent to earth, suffering to be free. _So pretty…_

He gently let his lips brush against her feathery lips. The feeling was tentative, heavenly. He wanted this feeling to last forever. _Longer than it did last time…_

"Sh-Shinn..?"

He instantly opened his eyes, pulling back while blushing madly. His eyes could only see the violet eyes staring up at him. It was amazing, to see those eyes. The way they always gave off this feeling, saying it would all be okay. She continued to stare up at him, her violet eyes gazing into his for a few moments, bringing back a string of memories to him.

"_Shinn I… love you."_

He closed his eyes, for a moment, wishing that she might say it again. _Maybe she doesn't have to. She told me last time… I should tell her this time. _He was about to speak, when he heard a gasp from the door. He looked over, to find his parents' gaping at the sight. _They just had to interrupt right now._

--

Natarlie wiped her forehead.

"Your parents must be very worried. You're quite the sweet girl, even I would want you to be here," she said. Stellar continued to sit on the couch, smiling innocently and nodding, shaking her head at times. Though she spoke few words, it seemed Natarlie and Muruta were able to pick up her thoughts through the innocent looks she gave off. Stellar was just too, sweet. "If only I knew where you lived. It must be around here, since you were at the Memorial Beach," Muruta said. His blue eyes gazed off at the window, where it remained for a few moments.

Shinn chose to walk in at that moment, holding a tray with four mugs. One was filled with strong coffee, Muruta's normal drink. One more was filled with hot chocolate, Natarlie's favorite drink. The last two were filled with warm green tea. Shinn figured he and Stellar would do fine with it. He took a seat beside Stellar, who seemed perfectly at ease. _She remembers me. _The thought alone made him smile. "We were discussing Stellar's home. Her parents', they must be devastated without her," Muruta spoke. For some reason, Shinn rarely saw his father this worried. It was awkward. "Do you think you could ask her? She seems a ton more comfortable with you," Natarlie admitted.

Shinn gave a curt nod, before looking at Stellar. The blonde girl had looked at him and gave a smile; a sweet, soft smile.

"Stellar… where are your family?"

At the moment, she tilted her head to one side. "N-Neo," she mumbled. At her words, Shinn's eyes widened. _How can she still care about that man? He should be dead… he can't be alive. _"Oh, Neo La Flaga! He got married to your mother's best friend," Muruta interrupted. Shinn's head snapped back at his parents'. _Neo La Flaga… a relative of Neo Roanoke… or whatever his name was. She's his daughter… _"I'll call Marissa right now! Shinn, you and Stellar can have lunch together. Muruta and I will handle her family," Natarlie said. At her words, Shinn nodded, grasped Stellar's hand, and headed towards the kitchen.

--

"You're going back as soon as they find out if Neo La Flaga is your father, y'know."

Shinn watched as Stellar bit into the peanut butter sandwich he had made. He didn't want her to go, but there wasn't much choice there. Her parents' must be worried. And Shinn didn't want to cause anymore families grief. The girl placed the sandwich back on her paper plate and looked up at him.

"Shinn… Shinn, don't leave me…"

He quickly grasped her free hand, looking into her with obsessive red eyes. "I won't! I'll come see you every day, and we'll see each other so often, Stellar," he said, quickly. "I promised I would protect you, and I will. I love you, I love you like you loved me!" She smiled up at him, giving him a light feeling in the chest. _Oh Stellar… _"Stellar will see Shinn, always," she said.

--

"S-Stellar!"

Shinn stepped away as the brown haired woman embraced Stellar. He saw the man behind her, and hatred crawled up his spine. But he stayed quiet. Stellar's parents held rights on her, as Shinn did too. He wouldn't stop them from meeting her. The woman looked back up at Shinn with teary eyes. "O-oh you saved her! Thank you so much, she is such an idiot sometimes," the woman spoke. Stellar's hand was still entwined in Shinn's. "Of course I would, Mrs. La Flaga. I promised I would protect her," Shinn spoke.

The man behind him looked surprised, for a moment. _Could he remember his past life too? Nah, I doubt it. _"Neo… can Stellar go to dinner with Shinn today?" Stellar asked. The man cringed, before nodding. "Of course, Stellar. As long as you don't come back with seashells, buckets of water, or starfish," Neo said. Stellar smiled, happily.

_**The Ocean never ends its quarrel with Destiny. They mingle, argue, fight, till finally, Impulse meets Gaia, and Destroy is sent to oblivion.**_

--

**Aegis to Akatsuki **

"Athrun?"

He shifted, covering his head with his blanket. As usual, he didn't want to wake up. Having that dream about that wonderful place with trees, and the sun drifting down, was so tantalizing. His dreams were more interesting than his reality. _Don't wake up, Athrun, don't wake up. _His murmurs were cut off by a pillow connecting with his face. He sat up and growled over at the inconsiderate person who had woken him up.

"Haha! That serves you right for sleeping in!" Meyrin cooed. He ignored her, as usual, and pulled the covers back over his face. The sweet simplicity of that dream was all he wanted. Instead, that dumb girl annoyed him. PLANT Boarding School usually held a few people, but as of late, it was overcrowded. Athrun was going to be shifted off to ORB to live with his family again. To rule ORB.

_I feel weird about it… like something I regret is still there._

--

"Good morning, Cagalli. Will cereal do?"

As usual, the girl came into the kitchen with her hair open. Rusty Zala frowned as his daughter sat on the table. As usual, something or another was wrong with her outfit. No, it wasn't the black tanktop, or the gray cargo skirt. It must have been something else. Her shoes were a solemn red, matching the black. What was it that didn't suit her?

As usual, his wife, Flay, came walking into the room wearing a fancy dress. He didn't understand women sometimes, but then again, he wasn't a genius. _Funny, that sounded insulting. _After a moment, Cagalli seemed to pour herself some cheerios and milk, though it just didn't seem right. Her hair was still up to the middle of her back, curled to perfection. There was a large application of black eyeliner and mascara on her eyes, making her amber eyes less apparent. No, it was the everyday Cagalli. _This is tiring._

"Rusty dear? I was wondering, how about all three of us go visit ORB? Cagalli needs some education on the country," Flay said. Rusty sighed, heavily. He was the PLANT Supreme Council Chairman. Leaving the country was completely absurd! Randomly, however, their daughter suddenly looked up. He caught some sort of, strange, excitement in her usually dulled eyes.

"If mother wants to go, we'll go, father. You can stay behind for your own business."

Rusty really regretting letting their only daughter be a Natural. Then again, his wife was too.

--

Flay brushed her hair, softly combing out the magenta curls, while Cagalli applied a thick layer of lipstick to her lips.

The shuttle had just landed, and Flay wanted to look absolutely beautiful. It was her first visit to ORB since, ever. Cagalli just naturally put makeup on. It was just so, daughter-mother like! Flay quickly kissed her daughter on the cheek, while that same daughter quickly frowned. "Don't frown, honey! You'll get wrinkles!" Flay exclaimed. Cagalli quickly let a neutral expression. Though it didn't change the fact that she wasn't happy about being near her mother.

Both women soon began walking down a street. Cagalli's leather mini skirt and pink t-shirt made her appear a lot more, provocative than normal. Flay was proud of her daughter. She had gotten Rusty the same way. _Oh, my daughter is so pretty! _Flay still didn't get how Cagalli had blonde hair, however. It must have been some genetic mess up from Rusty's side of the family.

Moments later, Flay found a hotel and quickly walked inside. The two had clearly forgotten they were nation wide idols, because the hotel manager fainted. Cagalli stood at the door, pulling out a compact mirror to re-adjust her hair, while Flay tried to find someone else to get them a room. "The owner is knocked out. Don't you have any relatives, mother?" Cagalli asked.

Flay looked to Cagalli, before tilting her head to one side. _Well, there is __**that**__ family. But we haven't spoken to them for generations… _

"Pass me your mobile phone, Cagalli dear. I think I'll call up an old friend of ours," Flay said. Cagalli fished through her purse, going through many different makeup tools, before pulling out her pink and blue cellular phone. Flay grasped it, careful not to ruin her manicured nails, and then dialed a number. As soon as someone picked up, she spoke.

"Hello, this is Flay Zala. We're in ORB, and we need a place to stay. Is it okay to stay with you, Lady Attha?"

--

Athrun watched as his mother, Lenore, paced back and forth. His father, Uzumi, was staring, dejectedly, at the ground. Only fifteen hours of being here and already his parents seemed disturbed. Lenore had received quite a disturbing phone call this morning, upon which she smiled falsely. He had caught the words 'of course' and 'anytime'. From what his coordinator mind could pick up, he knew it was bad, bad news. Already that feeling in his heart was beginning to grow.

Finally, Lenore looked over at Athrun. "I want you to go study the Attha history. Specifically during the times and rule of Cagalli Yula Attha," she said. Athrun knew his family very well. But his family never let him near the years C.E. 70 through to CE 100. His heart, uncharacteristically, gave a thump at the mention of that name. He had never heard it before. But it seemed so familiar, so warm. So… _regretful. _

"No, never mind that, Athrun. I want you to listen up. The _Zala_ family will be staying with us for a few days," Lenore said. At that point, the word Zala hit him hard. _Wh-why do I feel so connected to that name? For god sake, my name is Athrun Attha. Not Athrun Zala… not… _

He didn't seem so convinced of his name, all of the sudden.

"They are well respected, but a few years back… we lost contact with them. I want you to remain calm, kind and respectful," Lenore said. She then turned around, glancing worriedly at Uzumi, who only shook his head. Athrun didn't like the idea of this family coming to live with them. It was so, unusual. But then, at the mention of that name… _I feel as if I know that name. As if I may have been one of them… was I?_

--

"Cagalli, I want you to know we're staying with the Chief Representative's family. He and his wife are very kind to us," Flay spoke. As she did, Cagalli felt something well up in her throat. The word was uncharacteristically familiar. It made her want to turn around, run back to PLANTS, where she was just the daughter of the Chairman. _Father always kept my identity fairly low profile. I was safe there… _She noticed Flay fixing a stray lock of her magenta hair.

She didn't feel good. She didn't even want to be here. Something didn't seem right…

"Cagalli? You look pale?" Flay asked. Cagalli snapped her head back to her mother, giving a deep frown. That should be good enough to shut the woman up. Cagalli didn't care, not one bit, for her parents. They were just a latter part of her life. _One day I'll be dead, like everyone else. No one will remember me… no one at all._

She felt Flay's hand on her shoulder. Her mother didn't understand her, at all. She was too obsessed with her hair, and makeup, to notice Cagalli had grown up. She was eighteen, old enough to be engaged. "I understand if you feel uncomfortable. This place is, at the least, a bit too cultured. After the Bloody Valentine war, the country fell apart," Flay said. Cagalli felt something, somehow, hurt at that. _I'm not even a citizen of this place. Why do I care? _Her question was answered by a painful throb in her head.

"Let's just get to this place. I want to rest," Cagalli snapped. Flay's eyes widened, but she nodded nonetheless.

--

Athrun jumped when the doorbell rang. For some reason, he had worn the ORB uniform he normally wore, and it didn't seem right. When he heard the bell, something inside him was thumping, long and hard against his ribcage. Those must be the visitors, he assumed. But a part of him told him it wasn't just 'the visitors', but someone else. _This is messed up! I should go open the door._

He walked towards the door, gliding gracefully despite how much his heart was beating. How suddenly blurry his vision was. How suddenly he was feeling like regret was coming back. And when he reached the door, placed his hand on the doorknob, he felt his whole body shake. What was wrong with him? It wasn't as if something scary was outside the door! He turned the knob, opening the door, and staring at the people outside.

And it hit him like a meteor on the head. Like clear day, sunlight.

_Ca-Cagalli…!_

--

Cagalli felt her heart speed up at the sight of the young man at the door. For some reason, she suddenly felt self conscious. Almost questioned why she was wearing a dress. She almost question why she was even thinking of being so, dressy. But almost quickly, she felt her mother tighten hold on her shoulder. "You must be _Athrun_! My name is Flay Zala, and this is my daughter, Cagalli," Flay exclaimed. She looked at Cagalli expectantly.

_Athrun… th-that name sounds so familiar. Athrun… I'm just being demented. He's an ORB Representative, and I'm a PLANT civilian._

Cagalli closed her eyes, frowning haughtily. Her closed eyes, and the extra attitude, always pulled men closer. She was certain this Athrun fellow would fall head over heels. And she wasn't fazed by him. No, she didn't even care that he was handsome, or attractive. She didn't care one bit. _My name is Cagalli Yula… dammit! It's Cagalli Zala! _She took a deep, deep breath. This was easy, she handled everything easily. Her eyes snapped open when she found two others at the door.

Her heart was nearly snapped in two at the sight of a man, dressed in the representative maroon colored uniform, with solemn gray hair and brown eyes.

_What's going on with me?!_

--

Athrun paced back and forth in his room, taking deep breaths as he remembered everything. In one moment, just staring at her face, he remembered it all. He knew now why the name Athrun Zala was more familiar than even Athrun Attha. He knew why he felt regretful in ORB. He saw it all, everything. And it was hurting him.

_I'm not Athrun Attha… I'm Athrun Zala. I'm the son of Patrick Zala… and I was Alex Dino, Cagalli Yula Attha's bodyguard… the one who hurt her so much…_

He sat down on his bed, staring down at the ground. From what he could remember, he had moved on, or tried to. He had, unhappily, married Meyrin. However, he soon heard the news of Cagalli dieing from leukemia, and ended up committing suicide. _I killed myself… I died because I knew I regretted not being with her. _He had every memory now. He knew he wouldn't be able to rest, not now, not ever. He couldn't rule ORB; he was really just a mobile suit pilot. And all he wanted to do was… was.

_I want to see __**her**__ again, not whatever she's become…_

He didn't catch a chance to think it over. Her appearance, her expression. He had turned around the moment his mother and father came. Mother, and father; they were people who raised him. But they weren't his parents, at least, Uzumi Attha wasn't. He was just reborn; his real form was still Athrun Zala. And that girl is Cagalli Yula Attha, not Cagalli Zala. _I have to see her… I have to ask if she remembers me too. I want to be with her…_

--

"Miss Zala, you should rest. I-I'm sure your makeup and appliances can wait till later-"

Cagalli ignored the woman, and continued resetting her makeup. The eyeliner had worn off, leaving her looking less than stellar. She really wanted nothing more but to leave this place. It gave her a major headache, and that boy. _I don't know him, I don't care about him. I… I ha… ha…_

She just couldn't say hate and his name together. Athrun… that name was too familiar. She suddenly just wanted to punch him, do something drastic. But her lady-like posture kept her from doing that. She quickly turned back to Lenore Attha, and shook her head. "I won't be attending dinner. I am sorry for the inconvenience, Mrs. Attha," she spoke. Lenore had genuine worry in her eyes, something Cagalli knew she had seen somewhere else. Not on her parents, but somewhere else.

"Mother, father has called you down for dinner."

Lenore quickly turned, but Cagalli suddenly wished she had stayed. _No, not him… not him. _

Fate hated her. Because it was none other than Athrun Attha.

--

Athrun was startled by her appearance.

Thick makeup, lipstick, a leather miniskirt, pink tanktop. It was completely unlike her. He almost lost faith in himself, till he saw those amber eyes. The same ones that amazed him before. Like an endless dessert, a dawn. _A flawless sun… her eyes are a flawless sun. _None of that fancy stuff suited her, and he knew that. It was her simplicity, her anger, and her burning passion that attracted him to her. The way she didn't even have to look a certain way to gather your attention.

"Y-you… what are you doing in my room?"

Her voice was strained. She was trying not to scream at him. But he was Athrun Zala for a reason. A good one at that. And he was able to provoke Cagalli, no matter how long it had been since they had met. He quickly climbed onto the bed, as expected, she showed some fear. And some resistance. "Don't you recognize me?" he asked. She seemed to stare, for a few moments. Maybe she was resisting. But not for long.

He was able to do things to Cagalli she may not remember. Those times she buried herself in work and forgot everything else, she would end up forgetting he needed her time. So he would somehow, one way or another, get her to listen to him. One way was, though childish, most affective. It involved him, a certain little thing called General Kisaka's mobile number, and the Attha Princess. It was all very, very affective. And Athrun knew it might just work today.

He knew the number quite well. Maybe he could scare her into remembering. He pulled out his cellular phone and dialed a number, catching her shock. He smirked over at her, appearing a bit too confident. "I'm calling _Kisaka_. You remember him, right?" he said. She seemed slightly surprised, before faintly pushing him down. She must not have realized she would land on him, and hit with a thump.

The position was so familiar and comforting. Athrun missed it. "Y-you… I-I," she began. Athrun looked up at her, his emerald eyes glazing over her amber eyes. He could catch the brief feeling of familiarity spreading between them. She was picking it up too. _Cagalli… remember me. Please, I miss you so much… _

"A-Athrun Zala… g-get off of me!"

He smiled. She was back. She quickly shoved herself off of him, staring down with flaming eyes. It was as if a part of her she had lost came back. Passion, fury, loyalty; it was sweeping her over. He was already feeling so happy, so comfortable. "Now that you remember me. Take a look at you," he said. She blinked, briefly, till it struck her. _Now, she'll lose it. She'll scream about the dress, the hair…_

"Athrun… I'm… I can't remember everything…"

Athrun raised an eyebrow. He had thought she remembered everything. Apparently, only a small portion came to her. _Why is this so difficult? _He had already come up with a plan, on how they would live. _I can't live without her… she's my everything. _He had already decided Athrun Attha never existed; it may be his birth name, but his true name is still Athrun Zala. She isn't really Cagalli Zala, not yet, at least. _She deserves her place as the Chief Representative._

He quickly embraced her, basking in the warmth. Though her skin felt awkward against his. He was so used to her being so covered up. "I have a plan… I'll find all of the information on you, on me. And we'll unfold your history, our history, till you remember. After that, we'll bring back Cagalli Yula Attha, the _true_ ruler of ORB," he said. At his words, the girl tilted her head to one side. "But, that would involve looking like her, I mean, me again. Cutting my precious hair, uncurling it, using no makeup," she began. And he smirked, knowingly.

"Oh… that isn't the biggest problem. Its really those clothes… they need to… go!"

She gasped as he pounced on her, before he tickled her lightly. _Cagalli… I love you._

--

"Are you guys done yet? We're going out, and you missed dinner as well. Cagalli, come outside."

Flay waited down the stairs. For a while, she had been mildly amused that her daughter took so long to get dressed. Like a proper lady. But then Cagalli took too long, and she soon heard squeals, and disapproving moans. _Athrun must be with her… what is he doing? _After a few moments, the door opened. It revealed a very handsomely dressed Athrun. _Oh, it is a treat to see him like that. If only I were younger… _"Cagalli, come out," Athrun called. Flay raised an eyebrow, before worry crossed her face.

_Wh-what did that monster do to my daughter?!_

Out came Cagalli, but not the Cagalli she had given birth to. _Oh… l-lord. Wh-what has happened to my precious stylish baby? _Her hair, once long and curled, was short, straight, and messy. Her gorgeous face, filled with makeup and lipstick, was now clear of the substance. Even worse, her beautiful body, once with equally as beautiful clothes, was filled in something completely, utterly, foreign.

An ORB representative uniform.

She was an utter replica of the ORB Princess, Cagalli Yula Attha.

Flay felt anger boil in the pit of her stomach. For some reason, this new look of her daughter's angered her. Anger she had never felt for anyone before now. She heard a soft gasp behind her, and quickly turned around. Uzumi Attha and Lenore Attha stood frozen, unsure of what to say about the scattered appearance of the girl before the. _It's like a ghost came to haunt this place! Where is my Cagalli? That can't be her… it just can't. _

--

"Athrun, what is the meaning of this? Wh-why does that girl look like Lady Cagalli?" Uzumi asked. His voice was strained. Athrun caught the clear worry in his voice. He knew Uzumi was worried that something was wrong with the picture. Athrun had cut Cagalli's hair perfectly, done her clothes perfectly. It was as if she had never disappeared. The same ORB Chief Representative with the same feisty attitude. His soon-to-be wife, his lover.

"Hold your hands! We have you cornered!"

At that instant, the windows burst. Athrun quickly grasped Cagalli by the shoulder, pulling her close to him. As she hit his chest, he felt her bury her head in his shoulder. The people who had invaded the house seemed to be street thugs, but not normal ones. Athrun was mildly shocked to find they didn't sport thug clothes, but Junk Guild uniforms. He quickly bit his lip, forming a frantic escape plan in his mind. _Anything to get me out of here, me, Cagalli, mother, father… _He had purposely forgotten Flay.

At that sudden moment, a bullet came at Cagalli. Acting on instinct, Athrun pushed her to the ground, before jumping to a side and hitting a wall. As he realized his mistake, he caught a menacing soldier with a gun pointing the weapon at Cagalli, who had her hair blocking her face. _He doesn't realize who she is… she might be safe if she… _The soldier let the trigger go, as the bullet sped for Cagalli. Athrun sucked in his breath, his eyes watering up.

Years of waiting, only to find she would die again. He couldn't, she couldn't… he couldn't live without her!

And someone jumped infront of her, blocking the shot.

--

Cagalli screamed as she found the man, whom she had probably called father in her past life, slumping into her arms, dead. She looked up at the soldier who had shot him, feeling her heart beat quickly. "F-Father! Don't go, don't go… you can't do this to me!" she exclaimed. The soldier seemed between shock, and fear. But she didn't care. The continuous look of sorrow in the man in her arms showed her clearly he mattered more right now.

Uzumi took a deep breath, before smiling.

"My daughter, Cagalli… I'm glad you have come back to me. Though I'm leaving again… I will not leave you without anything. You will be chief representative in my steed… Cagalli Yula Attha. Apologize… apologize to Athrun for me…"

She stared, unable to believe he had said those words. In seconds, she bursted into uncontrollable tears. The Chief Representative of ORB, Uzumi Attha, dead in the arms of his daughter from another life. The same burden had now befallen her twice, and she was breaking under pressure. She felt weak and numb inside, and she wanted to just wish him to come back. _But I can't… father is dead. And I'm Cagalli Yula Attha again…_

At that moment, she heard an enraged scream. It sounded, suspiciously, like her… mother? That word didn't fit on her tongue. Not now that all those memories had returned to her. Not now that she knew she wasn't really her daughter.

"Y-you… you can't be my daughter! My Cagalli is dead… so I'm going to kill you!" Flay shouted. Before she could, Lenore had grabbed her arms. The woman was sobbing, but for some reason, righteousness seemed to control her actions.

"If you hurt my son's fiancee, you will die… and I will see to it myself."

--

Most of the ORB representatives dropped posture as the two figures came up. Athrun smirked at the reactions. He had expected it. His uniform was, once more, the simple ORB uniform for Colonels. While Cagalli came in her Chief Representative Uniform. It suited her well, though she seemed to want to hide at the moment. Mainly because most of the media was gawking at the appearance of a long dead Princess. One of the reporters, with flowing green hair, spoke first, though shaking.

"L-Lady Cagalli?"

Cagalli took a deep breath, before speaking. They didn't have a script. Athrun had complete trust in Cagalli's abilities to improvise. And, he had also been too busy trying to get her away from the coffee supply to actually prepare something. The girl raised her microphone, staring down at the crowd, before giving off a confident smile.

"Yes, I'm back. After the death of Uzumi Attha, I was reappointed the Chief Representative. And in order to keep ORB safe, I will do my best to protect it. With Athrun _Zala_ at my side, I can accomplish anything you throw at me. Because you are my people, my family… and to protect my family, to be there for you. Isn't that my job? Protecting the honor of ORB, as its Princess, its leader. But most of all, as a member of this nation. I must help, because I am one of you."

Most of the crowd burst into cheers, while some remained confused. Namely a certain purple haired man in the crowd, who Cagalli was uncertain about. But she felt Athrun hold her free arm, and it was all gone. The worry, the fear.

"We must ask you, Lady Cagalli. How are you back?"

She looked back at Athrun, before smiling ironically. "I suppose fate has its way of bringing me back here, even when I don't want to," she said.

_**So the Dawn is really just waiting for Justice. Even when it becomes a dark dull hole, it'll be certain to receive a quick lift. That is when Aegis and Akatsuki meet.**_

--


End file.
